Prime 95 Blend Test

[caddi daddi]

WRITE STUFF THAT WORKS DOWN!
work with one area of your clock at a time.
how I start.
set it all to default, stress it. why? if it can't do it at stock, it won't do it overclocked.
find max core clock, write it down, return it to stock.
find max ram clock and tightest timings, write it down, return it to stock.
find max cpu/nb clock, write it down, return it to stock.
apply max cpu clock and max ram clock, adjust ram clock to keep it all stable, write it down.
apply max cpu/nb clock to the clocks in the last step, adjust cpu/nb to get it stable, write it down.

 

[cjkart20]

Yeah I may just restore everything to defaults and restart. However, if I am stable with a small fft test then my CPU clock is fine right? The problem is when I run a blend test. So that would be a RAM issue correct?

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

The problem is when I run a blend test. So that would be a RAM issue correct?

Yes, it can be. It may also be a northbridge or HTT issue.

 

[cjkart20]

Alright so would it make sense to just start with CPU. Run small fft until I find max stable CPU clock for about 4 hours. Then start to work on ram and run blend test after that? Then once that's stable for about 12 hours call it good?

 

[Mandrake4565]

Alright so would it make sense to just start with CPU. Run small fft until I find max stable CPU clock for about 4 hours. Then start to work on ram and run blend test after that? Then once that's stable for about 12 hours call it good?

Overkill, but yeah. 2 hours Prime blend and call it a day.

 

[cjkart20]

Is it necessary to run the fft for CPU or can I just do blend 100% of the way?

 

[Mandrake4565]

Is it necessary to run the fft for CPU or can I just do blend 100% of the way?

Post #14 is how I feel.

 

[cjkart20]

I guess I'm gonna just run blend test all the way then. I just need to restore defaults. Write crap down. And take it slower.

 

[EarthDog]

The method I mentioned is recommended if you have a lot of RAM and OC'ing the bus to OC. (especially with multiple RAM brands and all DIMM slots occupied.)

Small FFTs only good if you suspect a core instability issue, usually because of needing more Vcore or require lower core temps.

Commonly held knowledge on this is blend for cpu and memory, and small fft for just cpu. No changes need to be made 99% of the time tof find stability.

@ OP - see post 14.

 

[Mandrake4565]

I guess I'm gonna just run blend test all the way then. I just need to restore defaults. Write crap down. And take it slower.

Highlighted the most important part. Cj, overclocking is a process, if you really want to learn how to do it properly, taking it one step at a time will be a much more rewarding experience. Reason being, every setup is different. Even if I had the exact same components as you, chances are my rig would Oc differently then yours. They may get to the same overclocks but voltages needed would most likely be different. That's why these you tube videos people like to follow tend to lead to a lot of frustration. There really isn't any cookie cutter settings for any given setup. This is why I said to take notes, the better the notes you take the more you will learn your setup.

Overclocking isn't rocket science, the main things you need to do is raise the multiplier one tick and test, watch temps and add voltage when necessary. The method I use takes a bit of patience because I will find true stable points along the way up, that way I have a known stable setup to fall back on if I lose my way. So my method would go something like this, set Cpu V manually, raise the mutiplier run prime blend 20 min, to find tentative stability . Watch temps, if I pass I raise the multiplier again and test 20 min, if I fail I leave the multiplier and raise the Cpu V 1 notch and re test, again watching temps. Once I go up, depending on the chip I'm overclocking, 400 Mhz I will try and find a true stable overclock. So at that point I will try and pass 2 hours Prime Blend watching temps, again Failure I add Cpu voltage if I pass I resume the process. Making sure I write down everything along the way that I changed, especially the true stable Oc. This will take time but it is well worth it because it leads to a lot less frustration.

 

[cjkart20]

Thanks! That is exactly what I will do. Should I work on finding a stable CPU overclock before I start on ram? Or should I set up ram the way I want it and then start on making it stable?

 

[Mandrake4565]

Thanks! That is exactly what I will do. Should I work on finding a stable CPU overclock before I start on ram? Or should I set up ram the way I want it and then start on making it stable?

Do the Cpu first, where do you plan on having the Ram set when you start? 1866 with timings on Auto? I say Cpu first because I find that if I have a known stable Oc on the Cpu, it's a bit easier to set the Ram the way I want. Reason is if the OC is stable at say 4.6, you set the timings on the ram and then you're failing Prime you know what is causing it. You can then make the adjustments to stabilize the ram, which in most cases with these Fx chips means adding Cpu Nb voltage or sometimes having to adjust the secondary timings. If you want to make you're life easier, set the system up the way you plan on testing it, with the Cpu voltage set manually at stock clocks. Then run prime Blend 2 hours to give you a base line, if it fails then we most likely need to get the ram stable at 1866 before you proceed. The Fx 6300 shouldn't have an issue running the ram at 1866 but sometimes they do, I had a tough time when I first started running a set of 1866 sticks on my Fx 8350. With a little work I figured out I needed to get the Cpu Nb voltage up a bit to get them stable.

 

[cjkart20]

You hit that nail right on the head!! So I had a stable CPU overclock at 4.6. I then went in and changed the ram timing to match the timing of the 1866 that CPU-Z showed. That's when my problems started happening. I have a pretty good idea to be able to get my CPU back stable at 4.6. When getting the CPU back to 4.6 where should I set the CPU/nb voltage? Auto? Also I assume that I need to have all the ram timing and dram voltage at auto as well until i finish the CPU overclock and start messing with that part of the ram portion of overclock? And lastly, what about the CPU/nb frequency and ht frequency?

 

[Mandrake4565]

You hit that nail right on the head!! So I had a stable CPU overclock at 4.6. I then went in and changed the ram timing to match the timing of the 1866 that CPU-Z showed. That's when my problems started happening. I have a pretty good idea to be able to get my CPU back stable at 4.6. When getting the CPU back to 4.6 where should I set the CPU/nb voltage? Auto? Also I assume that I need to have all the ram timing and dram voltage at auto as well until i finish the CPU overclock and start messing with that part of the ram portion of overclock? And lastly, what about the CPU/nb frequency and ht frequency?

When you get the Cpu back stable at 4.6 make sure it passes 2 hours Blend, then set the ram to where you want it, test again. If it fails give the Dram voltage a +.05 increase over stock voltage and raise the Cpu Nb Voltage to 1.25 v. (Make sure you're raising the Cpu Nb voltage and not the Nb voltage) Watch temps again because raising the Cpu Nb v will increase the Socket and Package temps. Leave the Ht link and Nb freq where they are for now, one step at a time. Remember patience.

 

[cjkart20]

Okay first off thanks to EVERYONE and specifically Mandrake and caddi daddi for all the help. I reset everything and started over slowly and am pretty sure I now have everything where it needs to be. Everything just passed a little over 2 hours with a prime95 blend test. I may let another one run a little longer just to see where I am at. Although, I only use my computer a few hours at a time so I am sure its stable. Anyways, here are a pic of all my temps and setting etc. Am I missing anything significant? Any room for improvement? Also, what is up with the HWMonitor saying TMPIN2 is -117C and my CPU and FANIN2 dropped way down in RPMs. I don't suspect those 2 things really happened lol.

 

[Mandrake4565]

You're about topped out on temps but all looks good. The TMPIN temp is erroneous and sometimes the software gives errant fan readings, especially if there is another Hw reading program in the background. One thing I do see is the HT Link speed should be at 2600 Mhz, that is stock settings so raising it to 2600 shouldn't be an issue. You can, if you choose, try raising the Nb Frequency as it can give you a little more performance. Note that it may cause instability and may need additional Cpu Nb voltage which will in turn raise temps a bit, so it may not be worth it.

 

[cjkart20]

Will definitely raise the HT link speed to 2600 and may try with the nb frequency to 2400. I've also seen on the forums how people will rig up another fan to point at the VRM and CPU to help keep things cooler. Should I try that? Would it allow me to overclock a little further? Or would the gains not really be worth the trouble?

 

[Mandrake4565]

Will definitely raise the HT link speed to 2600 and may try with the nb frequency to 2400. I've also seen on the forums how people will rig up another fan to point at the VRM and CPU to help keep things cooler. Should I try that? Would it allow me to overclock a little further? Or would the gains not really be worth the trouble?

The fan on the VRM section is helpful, usually we will do it when the Socket temp is like 15-20c higher then the package temp. These Fx 6xxx chips don't stress the Vrm section as much as the Fx 8xxx chips. Especially when they are mated to a top notch motherboard like the Saberkitty. It's up to you, I have a 80mm fan zip tied to my board heatsink, it's not pretty but it works. You're already maxed out on the Package temp so adding a fan to the Vrm isn't going to help other then to keep the Vrm a bit cooler, which is good. I'll post a screen shot of my VRM fan. The only thing that is going to get you more of an Oc is either to be able to get it higher without raising the Cpu V, which isn't likely or getting bigger cooling. I'll warn you it's a slippery slope it may not be long till you want a Cpu Pot so you can cool it with DICE or Ln2.


My Fx 6300 on DICE

Fx 8350 on Ln2

 

[cjkart20]

Okay yeah I gotcha. Very impressive with the overclock of the 6300 on dry ice. I'll play around with my 4.6 and see how it performs. At least with my sabertooth board I can upgrade pretty easily to a different CPU. I guess that would give me the easiest gains huh.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Okay yeah I gotcha. Very impressive with the overclock of the 6300 on dry ice. I'll play around with my 4.6 and see how it performs. At least with my sabertooth board I can upgrade pretty easily to a different CPU. I guess that would give me the easiest gains huh.

Playing around and benching the chip will teach you a lot about your setup. I learned more from benching my system then I ever would have just shooting for a stable Oc. Yes you can run any Fx chip on the Sabertooth as a matter of fact that run on Dice with my 6300 was on my Sabertooth. That said what types of gains are you looking for. Unless you're doing some serious multi threaded tasks that will utilize more cores then the Fx 6xxx has you will likely not see any gains performance wise. Additionally, if you stepped up to a Fx 8xxx you would have to deal with a lot more heat. So you would likely not be able to run the same Oc on the Fx 8xxx as you can on the Fx 6xxx.